Year-ender: Names under the spotlight in 2019
Julian Assange
Nine years later after WikiLeaks came to international attention when it published a series of leaks in 2010, Julian Assange once again appeared in the headlines in 2019.
On Nov 19, Swedish prosecutors discontinued the investigation into an alleged rape by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying the evidence has weakened considerably because nine years have passed since the events in question.
The Australian-born Assange set up Wikileaks in 2006, and made headlines around the world in April 2010 when Wikileaks published classified US military files related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In November 2010, Assange was accused of sexual molestation, coercion and rape. At the time, Assange denied the accusations but refused to be questioned in Sweden, fearing that Sweden would then extradite him to the US to face conspiracy charges.
